Russian pianist Sergey Belyavsky wins the first City of Malaga International Piano Competition

The three finalists in the City of Malaga International Piano Competition, accompanied by 70 musicians on stage, received a standing ovation from a packed Edgar Neville auditorium on Sunday evening.

Marked by the high skill of the participants, the competition brought together 24 pianists from 12 countries. Malaga city mayor Francisco de la Torre said: "The visibility it has given to the city of Malaga reinforces its cultural projection." In the same vein, vice-president for culture and education Manuel Lopez commented: "We have witnessed extraordinary musical moments in our city that have filled us with admiration and amazement." As for Gema Domínguez, head of performing arts at the Fundación Unicaja: "The Sala Fundación Unicaja María Cristina concert hall has witnessed the emotion of masterly performances and the difficult work of the judges."

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The panel of judges was comprised of Pablo Amorós (Spain), Sten Lassmann (Estonia), José María Moreno (Spain), Juan Miguel Moreno Calderón (Spain), Alberto Portugheis (Argentina), Jorge Luis Prats (Cuba) and Nadia Zhdanova (Russia). They awarded third place and the prize for best Spanish performer to 19-year-old Emin Kiourktchian from Cordoba; second place and the prize for best performer to Chinese pianist Jialin Yao; and first place to Russian pianist Sergey Belyavsky.

"The competition has been fabulous. I've been to many countries and I can say that this competition is one of the best organised. And of course, I am very happy to have won and for the opportunity to do the tour and be able to come back to Malaga," said Sergey. At 30 years old, Sergey Belyavsky from Russia performed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concert No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 in the grand finale, after which he received a appluse and standing ovation from the audience. Praised as a "beast on the keyboard" (The Utah Review), Sergey has amazed audiences all around the word and has been said to demonstrate "extraordinary expressive intelligence" (Bachtrack), as well as being "one of the finest pianists in the world today".

Sergey received wide recognition after winning prizes in more than thirty prestigious international piano competitions. The prize at the City of Malaga International Piano Competition awards him 20,000 euros, as well as a certificate, a trophy and the opportunity to perform in Malaga, Cyprus, Marbella, Tenerife and Cordoba at various festivals and venues.

Chinese pianist Jialin Yao, 25, was awarded the prize for best performer and was the only one to play Chopin's Piano Concert No.1, Op.11 in the final. He is a firm believer that the most moving music can only come from the most sincere and open-hearted human beings. He has been acclaimed for his "mature, sensitive and polished playing, with a serious attitude towards making music and a strong mentality for performance details" (Dmitri Alexeev), and is increasingly recognised for his "natural musicality, as well as for his highly sophisticated technical skills" (Michel Béroff). His love of bringing warmth, passion and magic to audiences has led him to perform throughout North America, Asia and Europe.

As a multidimensional musician, Jialin Yao not only appears on stage as a chamber musician, but is also committed to teaching the piano. Spanish pianist Emin Kiourktchian, who won third place and best Spanish performer, has been a student at the Reina Sofia School of Music since 2021. Despite his young age, he has won many competitions in Spain, delivered concerts in Andalucía and participated in numerous festivals. He has also been taught by renowned pianists such as Nikolai Demidenko, Elizabeth Leonskaja, Rena Shereshvskaya, Boris Berman, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Claudio Martinez Mehner, Eldar Nebolsin and Evgeny Kissin.